An operating method for a positioning system advantageously comprises a plurality of positioners, each of which may have at least one manipulator for manipulating a component. A possible use is the structural assembly of aircraft wherein shell segments are assembled into fuselage sections, the fuselage sections are then possibly positioned relative to one another and joined into a fuselage and subsequently, for example, the bearing structure, the empennages and the undercarriage are assembled onto the fuselage.
In conventional structural assemblies of aircraft in which components in the form of shell segments are assembled into fuselage sections, it is known that positioning takes place by means of rigid, heavy devices. Herein, a component can be inserted into a shape-defining frame. The component can be positioned together with the frame, relative to a reference system on a ring-shaped template, with the aid of the devices. The position of a device can then be detected periodically. With this assembly principle, the devices and, in particular, the frame, can suitably be designed with a high degree of stiffness. However, this has the disadvantage that, due to the design as a shape-defining frame, the degree of flexibility for component variants is limited.
It is also known to use coordinated positioning units for shell assembly. Herein, the shell segments can be received at defined receiving points by means of hot mountings and can be positioned relative to one another at support points with the aid of assembly devices. Depending on the dimensions of an aircraft to be assembled, for example, four to eight hot mountings can be applied to the shell segment. With this assembly principle, the position measurement of the shell segments can be a part of every assembly process. However, this configuration has the disadvantage that a very great effort is required for the control technology.
It is disclosed herein to provide an improved and/or alternative operating method for a positioning system.
An operating method is provided for a positioning system which advantageously comprises a plurality of positioners of which each has at least one, typically a plurality of manipulators. The positioning system is suitable for aircraft structural assembly, although the system can also be used for motor vehicle assembly (e.g. for bodywork parts, windows, etc.).
A component is grasped by manipulators and may be synchronously manipulated while being advantageously jointly grasped by the manipulators.
“Synchronous manipulation” should be understood to mean, in particular, the synchronisation of the movements of the manipulators.
It is possible for the manipulators to manipulate the component synchronously from an initial situation (initial position and/or initial orientation) into a target situation (target position and/or target orientation).
It is possible, in the absence of suitable countermeasures, for the component to have a deformation, for example, in the initial situation or generally, due to the intrinsic weight thereof. The component can therefore be, in particular, a flexionally flaccid component.
The component may be grasped in the initial situation by the manipulators and is manipulated by the manipulators into a desired form and/or held in a desired form.
The desired form may correspond to a form in which the deformation due to the intrinsic weight of the component and/or the internal tensions of the component are compensated for.
The deformation caused by the intrinsic weight of the component and/or the internal tensions of the component can be substantially completely, though not necessarily, compensated for. The present disclosure also covers only partial compensation.
The into-form manipulation or in-form holding can take place by means of specific manipulation of all the manipulators and/or by means of specific manipulation of only some of the manipulators. This means that not all the manipulators are necessarily needed to manipulate the component into the desired form and/or to hold the component in the desired form.
It is possible for the manipulators to transport the component to the target situation in the desired form at least in sections. It is possible herein, depending on the initial situation and the target situation and on the geometry of the component, that manipulators continuously manipulate the component at least in sections, between the initial situation and the target situation, such that the component is held in the desired form. In other words, it is therefore possible for the manipulators not only to manipulate the component in order to transport the component, but simultaneously also to hold the component in the desired form.
On the way from the initial situation to the target situation, the component is may be constantly held in the desired form by the manipulators. It is also possible for the component only to be manipulated into the desired form once in the target situation.
Using, for example, synchronous or asynchronous manipulation (e.g. coordinated manipulation), the manipulators can bring the component into, and/or hold the component in, the desired form.
As already mentioned, in the initial situation, the component can have a deformation due to the intrinsic weight thereof.
In one embodiment, the component is brought from a holding and/or transporting device (e.g. a crane construction) into the initial situation in which it is grasped (e.g. already in the desired form) and/or is manipulated into the desired form by the manipulators. It is possible for the manipulators to grasp the component already in the desired form. In this case, the holding and/or transporting device suitably holds the component already in the desired form. However, it is also possible for the manipulators to grasp a component deformed by the intrinsic weight thereof and to manipulate the component into the desired form. In this case, the holding and/or transporting device suitably holds the component not already in the desired form.
A transfer of the component from the holding and/or transporting device to the manipulators may take place in the initial situation.
The target situation can involve any desired situation (position and/or orientation), which is unlike an initial situation. The target situation can, but does not necessarily, relate to a final situation. The target situation may be an assembly situation in which the component can be mounted, for example, on an aircraft part. Similarly, the initial situation can, but does not necessarily, relate to a starting situation.
The manipulators may manipulate the component synchronously and independently of the operating situation, for example, a teaching, operational and/or emergency stop situation.
In one embodiment, a coordinate system (suitably a master coordinate system) is associated with the component and respective base coordinate systems (suitably, slave coordinate systems) are associated with the respective manipulators.
The operating method also may comprise at least one of the following features:                the position and/or orientation of the component in an initial situation are or have been determined,        the position and/or orientation of the component in a target situation are or have been determined,        reference movement parameters are or have been determined, the reference movement parameters relating to a coordinate system associated with the component and, for example, describing the movement of the component from the position and/or orientation in the initial situation to the position and/or orientation in the target situation, whereby a master kinematics may be defined,        the reference movement parameters are or have been transformed into the respective base coordinate system,        the manipulators manipulate the component based on the respective transformed reference movement parameters (suitably now relating to the respective base coordinate systems of the manipulators), whereby the respective manipulators may carry out a slave kinematics.        
By this means, the respective base coordinate systems thus advantageously make reference to the coordinate system associated with the component, which may correspond to a 6-D coordinate system (3 position coordinates and 3 orientation coordinates).
Both the coordinate system associated with the component and the respective base coordinate systems of the manipulators suitably relate to reference points, in particular so-called “tool centre points” (TCP—“tool centre point” or “tool reference point”). The coordinate systems therefore include TCP coordinate systems.
The reference points of the respective base coordinate systems of the manipulators may be fixed relative to the respective manipulators, whereby the respective base coordinate systems move with the respective manipulators. Alternatively or additionally, the reference point of the coordinate system associated with the component can be fixed relative to the component, whereby the coordinate system associated with the component moves with the component.
It is possible that the respective base coordinate systems (or the reference points or TCPs thereof) of the manipulators always follow the coordinate system (or the reference point or TCP thereof) of the component, particularly while the transformation is fixed between the manipulators and the attachment points of the manipulators on the component and/or the transformation is fixed between the attachment points of the manipulators on the component and the master kinematics of the component defined by the reference movement parameters. The referencing suitably also relates to the slave kinematics of the manipulators and the master kinematics of the component.
The manipulators are may be linked to one and the same control and/or computation unit which can control the manipulators jointly, e.g., simultaneously.
In particular, for example, the synchronous manipulation or at least the start of the synchronous manipulation by the manipulators can be controlled by one and the same control and/or computation unit.
Furthermore, the reference movement parameters (suitably the master kinematics) and/or the respective transformed reference movement parameters (suitably the slave kinematics) can be contained in one and the same control and/or computation unit (e.g. therein stored, determined and/or processed, etc.).
It is possible for the manipulators to be synchronously linked via a master/slave interface.
The manipulators can be of the same or different design and can comprise e.g. linear, serial, Cartesian and hybrid manipulators. For example, the manipulators of one positioner can be of the same or different design. Similarly, the manipulators of different positioners can be of the same or different design.
The component may be a shell segment, for example, for an aircraft outer skin (e.g. a fuselage), which in the target situation is mounted, for example, onto another aircraft part. In this case, the target situation corresponds to an assembly situation.
It should also be noted that the manipulators can be moved, for example, individually or in groups. Furthermore, the manipulators can be configured, for example, single-axis or multi-axis. Furthermore, the manipulators can be moved synchronously, for example, cascaded. The positioners and/or manipulators can be, for example, conventional robots or other suitable handling devices.
It should also be noted that a synchronous correction of the kinematics of the manipulators can be carried out, for example, depending on the deflection and/or bending of the linear axes of the manipulators and/or the measured load at the grasping points of the manipulators on the component, which is known in principle from DE 10 2011 111 758.3 so that the content of this patent application is fully incorporated within the present disclosure.
The disclosure also includes a control system for a positioning system, in particular for aircraft structural assembly, the positioning system comprising a plurality of positioners which each comprise at least one manipulator, wherein during operation, the control system carries out the operating method as described herein.
The disclosure also includes a positioning system, in particular for aircraft structural assembly, the positioning system comprising a plurality of positioners which each comprise at least one manipulator. The positioning system (in particular the manipulators) is configured such that, during operation, it carries out the operating method as described herein. Alternatively or in addition, the positioning system can comprise the control system mentioned above.
The embodiments described with reference to the drawings partially correspond to each other, so that similar or identical parts are provided with the same reference signs and for their description, reference is also made to other embodiments or figures in order to avoid repetition.